Group Hugs
by FamousNoOne
Summary: Everyone loves Dobby, and we were all devastated when Bella acted like the *insert awful word here* she is and killed him. But what would have happened if he had lived? What would his life be like? Thanks to FredNeverDied – man, that girl can get me to write anything, can't she? – you can all read about my hopes and dreams for the Dobby who never died.
1. The Biggest Group Hug Ever

**A/N: Hello, lovelies! I'm back with yet another story, thanks to the impending doom that is college! This is a nice little story about Dobby, the idea for which comes from one FredNeverDied, to whom I will be "ever grateful." Anyway, I'm surprised anyone is even reading this considering the small amount of Dobby fanfictions, but I expect his fan-base rivals that of even the Marauders, so maybe I'm not all that surprised that you're here…**

**Anyhoots, everything in italics here at the beginning is JK's. I kind of had to steal part of chapter 23 of Deathly Hallows to make this work. (Sorry, JK!)**

**Enjoy! :)**

The Biggest Group Hug Ever

_Harry squinted around through the darkness. There seemed to be a cottage a short way away under the wide starry sky, and he thought he saw movement outside it._

"_Dobby, is this Shell Cottage?" he whispered, clutching the two wands he had brought from the malfoys', ready to fight if he needed to. "Have we come to the right place? Dobby?"_

_He looked around. The little elf stood feet from him._

"_DOBBY!"_

_The elf swayed slightly, stars reflected in his wide, shining eyes. Together, he and Harry looked down at the silver hilt of the knife protruding from the elf's heaving chest._

"_Dobby — no — HELP!" Harry bellowed toward the cottage, toward the people moving there. "HELP!"_ He ran over to the elf, catching him when he fell.

Suddenly, there were pale hands lightly smacking his away from the elf, frantically but thoroughly examining the wound.

"'Arry, you must let go of 'im," a soft, feminine voice said to him. Harry knew he recognized the voice, but he didn't trust it. He didn't trust anyone.

Then there were two pairs of hands dragging him away from his dying friend. Harry whirled away, pointing both of the wands at the two people, who he automatically recognized as Dean and Ron's older brother Bill.

"Calm down, mate," Dean said gently. "Fleur will fix him up." Harry turned in time to see the beautiful blonde woman carrying Dobby back to the cottage.

At least we're at the right place, he thought vaguely.

"Can she fix him?" Harry asked, turning back to Bill and lowering the wands.

Bill took a deep breath and shrugged. "I don't know, but we'll try everything we can. Let's go inside; Ron's already taken Hermione and Luna in," he said, gesturing to the cottage. The three men walked to the cottage, and Harry was silent, burdened by thoughts of losing yet another loved one…

Twenty Years Later…

Harry smiled at his little friend, who was standing on the table and gesturing violently with his hands as he relayed a story.

"And then Dobby says to Master, he says, 'You shall go now,' and Master goes! Harry Potter freed Dobby!" the elf said, green eyes sparkling with happiness. Harry smiled at Dobby and laughed when the elf did a twirl, his bowler hat falling off his head.

Harry couldn't believe he was back at Hogwarts, except this time he was with his children and his favorite house elf in the entire world. Dobby cried tears of joy when Harry entered the kitchens of Hogwarts to let his friend know he would be back at Hogwarts and teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. After years of being an Auror, Harry understandably needed to switch to a job where he could have some time off, and Minerva had contacted him the summer before offering him this post and he couldn't refuse.

After all, James was now a fourth-year, and Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, just like his grandfather had been, which pleased him to no end. Albus was a second-year and wasn't as interested in Quidditch as he was pulling pranks with his friend Scorpius Malfoy. After all, the two Slytherins had fast become friends during their first year. And little Lily, a Gryffindor, was a first-year with a knack for Quidditch like her mother, and spent a lot of her time out on the pitch practicing or helping her older brother James with plays.

Ginny was very pleased that Harry would be at Hogwarts to look after the children since she couldn't spend all of her time with them anymore. After her first pregnancy, she had to stop playing for the Harpies, and by the time Lily came around, she didn't want to go back, so she had spent her time writing for the Sports section of the Daily Prophet, which she could do at home while spending time with their kids.

"I remember that, Dobby," Harry said, laughing at Dobby's antics. The elf was getting older but he was still very energetic. Harry suspected it had something to do with his… girlfriend? "How is Miffy, by the way?" Harry remembered that Dobby had told Lily all about his "friend" Miffy, with whom he had become friends while working for the Malfoys. When Draco's son, Scorpius, came to school Draco sent Miffy with him, freeing the last of their house elves just so he knew someone would be there to watch over his kid. Which was something Harry understood completely, and made him respect Draco more.

"Oh, Miffy is very good, Harry Potter," Dobby said, getting a faraway look in his eyes. The elf finally calmed down, sitting cross-legged in front of Harry on the table, resting his head in his hands. "Dobby is talking with Miffy all the time and Dobby likes this very much." Harry smiled.

"Do you like Miffy?" Harry asked bluntly. Dobby's eyes widened, bigger than softballs, and his cheeks became tinged with pink.

"Harry Potter asks silly questions," Dobby said, waving his hand at Harry. "But Dobby thinks yes, he likes Miffy very much."

Harry jumped when he heard a high-pitched shriek and saw a blur fly across the table at him and Dobby. He stared wide-eyed at the house elf who was now peppering Dobby with kisses.

"Miffy!" Dobby cried, pulling away from her. Harry could now see that Miffy was a slightly smaller house elf with dark brown eyes and a smaller, rounder nose than Dobby's. As far as house elves went, she was rather adorable.

"Miffy hears Dobby say he likes Miffy, and Miffy had to tell Dobby she likes him, too!" the elf said, her voice very squeaky. This declaration made her blush, but that didn't stop her from kissing the tip of Dobby's nose.

Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing, but he knew that he had never been happier for Dobby. The house elf's smile when he looked at Miffy was all Harry needed to see. After a few moments of nothing but the sounds of Miffy's happy squeaking and the sounds of her lips pressing noisily against Dobby's face, Harry excused himself and left the kitchens.

On his way back up to his office, Harry smiled and relived all of his memories with Dobby, from the first time he met the elf when he was twelve to the time he thought he had lost Dobby forever…

"_How is he doing?" Harry asked Fleur for what seemed like the thousandth time. Every time Bill's wife left Dobby's room, Harry couldn't help but utter those four words. Ron and Hermione stood faithfully by him, Hermione having been healed by the night after they arrived at Shell Cottage. It had been a grueling three days and Harry couldn't think of anything else but Dobby getting better. Dobby had always been loyal to Harry, even when he belonged to the Malfoy's, and Harry wasn't going to abandon him._

"_Zere were some complications in the beginning, but 'e eez doing much better now. You may go and see 'im," the blonde said, smiling at Harry. He looked over at Ron and Hermione, who nodded to him, both smiling softly. Harry stood from his place at the table and made his way upstairs to Dobby's room. When he pushed open the door, he gasped._

_Dobby was in the bed, but he didn't look nearly as awful as he did the last time Harry had seen him. His chest was bandaged, but he looked happy to see Harry._

"_Harry Potter came to see Dobby," the elf wheezed. Harry walked over to Dobby's bedside, collapsing in the chair that sat there, and cried tears of relief into Dobby's sheets while the elf softly petted his hair and whispered soothing words._

Harry recalled the feeling of complete happiness he had felt at that moment. Even with everything else that had been going on at that moment, he had felt so comforted by the thought that finally, _finally_ someone had not died because of him.

Of course, when Harry had tried to voice those concerns to Dobby, the elf had hushed him and relayed his happiness that Harry had stayed to make sure Dobby was getting better. Harry had sat all night with Dobby, talking about trivial things. Dobby tried his hardest to comfort Harry because the elf knew that Harry would be leaving in the morning, and Harry couldn't thank Dobby enough for that.

In fact, Harry had never told anyone this, but he knew that Dobby making it out alive is what kept him going. The hope that he could still save someone…

And now Dobby was still alive and well, and probably still being showered with affection. That Miffy was certainly something else, Harry thought to himself. But Dobby deserved someone, even if that someone was a hyperactive little elf.

"Harry Potter!" Harry turned to see Dobby and Miffy running down the corridor at him, holding hands. He smiled at the sight and crouched down so he was more on their level.

"Hello, Dobby. Hello, Miffy," he said, wrapping his arms around the elves. "You two aren't allowed out of the kitchens during the day. What are you doing up here?"

"Dobby and Miffy came to tell Harry Potter the good news!" Miffy said.

"Dobby and Miffy are to be married!" Dobby yelled, shocking Harry so much that he fell back onto his bum. The elves had only just admitted their feelings for each other three months previously.

The two went into a long story, sometimes stopping to remind Harry to thank "Miss Hermione" for all of her progress with elf rights – she had been the one who won the case deciding that house elves could marry – and finished breathlessly with a "Will Harry Potter stand by Dobby when he weds Miffy?"

Harry smiled widely at the house elf and nodded, earning squeaks and hugs from the two, who then ran off in the direction of the Headmistress' office.

The following summer, the Potters, Weasleys, and Malfoys were all gathered in Harry and Ginny's backyard to watch the ceremony. Harry stood beside Dobby while Lily stood beside Miffy. The elves explained that were it not for Lily telling Dobby that he should ask Miffy to marry him they never would have thought of the idea, so Lily had to stand by Miffy. Draco had gone to the Ministry and asked if he could officiate, and as she was the head of the department, Hermione agreed at once.

And so it was that everyone who was close to the elves watched them seal their marriage with a kiss. There were lots of cheers and smiles and tears of joy, and Harry hugged his friend Dobby, congratulating him.

Harry watched as Dobby received hugs from everyone, but when Fleur approached him, he burst into tears. Everyone surrounded him, asking if he was okay, but Dobby was inconsolable until Fleur crouched and pulled him into her arms. She and Dobby sat on the ground, Fleur rocking him back and forth and whispering things into his large ear until he had calmed enough to speak, still sniffling.

"Miss Fleur saved Dobby's life," he explained, drying his large eyes with his ears as he continued, "and so Dobby is very happy that she is here to see him marry Miffy. Without Miss Fleur, Dobby would not be here and for that, Dobby is ever grateful."

Fleur tried to hide her tears, but to no avail, and Harry didn't even try. Everyone was crying at that point, and they enveloped Fleur and Dobby and Miffy in the biggest group hug any of them had been a part of, and Harry thought to himself that he, too, would be forever grateful to Fleur for saving one of his best friends.


	2. The Perfect First Group Hug

**A/N: Hello, lovelies! I'm back! (See: FredNeverDied pressured me into continuing the story that she pressured me into writing in the first place.)**

**Here's another chapter, and maybe the last, of Group Hugs.**

**Enjoy! :)**

The Perfect First Group Hug

"HARRY JAMES POTTER, GET YOUR ARSE DOWN HERE NOW!"

Harry was so startled that he fell out of the bed with a loud groan. He was in the middle of a nice slumber, allowed to him only because it was his birthday and Ginny wanted him to be able to sleep in. He had been enjoying a particularly wonderful dream in which his wife had come in to wake him up, but in a much… ahem… nicer way…

Instead, she was clearly upset for some reason, and most likely fully clothed considering she was downstairs. Harry groaned again as he stood and rubbed his now sore backside as he made his way groggily down the stairs. What could possibly be the reason for waking him up in such a rough manner?

And then he got downstairs.

The first thing he noticed was a high-pitched moan, and then a lot of heavy breathing. Someone was clearly in pain. Then he registered the scene in front of him: Miffy and Dobby, who had been staying with the Potters because they were expecting a child and couldn't be left alone at Hogwarts over the summer, were sitting on the island in the middle of the kitchen. Dobby was holding Miffy's hand, or rather Miffy had Dobby's hand in a bone-crushing grip, and Ginny was holding a wet cloth to Miffy's sweaty head.

"Bloody hell," he muttered, earning a glare from his wife. "Sorry. What do you need me to do?"

And then it began. The children were already rushing around, flooing different people or packing a bag for Miffy, Dobby, and the baby, so really the only thing Harry had to do was get Dobby and Miffy to the car, since pregnant people – or house elves – can't Apparate due to the increased risk of splinching. Ginny told him to go ahead and get Miffy and Dobby to St. Mungo's and she and the kids would Apparate there as soon as everything was in order. Now that James was old enough to Apparate, that mode of transportation was the best.

Harry just hoped he could make it to St. Mungo's in time.

An hour later, Harry and the rest of the Potters, Ron and Hermione and their kids, Bill and Fleur, and Draco, Astoria, and Scorpius were all in the comparatively tiny waiting room at St. Mungo's, hoping some kind of news came soon.

Harry was burdened by thoughts of everything that could go wrong, but also very optimistic since things had gone so right for the house elves so far. Three years ago they became the first pair of free house-elves to be married, and at the end of the previous school year, they announced their pregnancy, another first for free elves. Harry couldn't help but be ecstatic for the pair, even though he wished gestation periods for house elves were longer than three months. He wasn't sure he was ready for this.

But Dobby was. He was over the moon, reading all of the baby books Ginny had kept in the basement from her pregnancies. House elf children weren't exactly like humans, but most of the basics were the same, and Dobby drank in all of the information like he would die without it. Harry couldn't be happier that they had agreed to come stay with them for the summer, but he was much happier that the stress of a pregnant house elf would soon be gone, and then all they would have to do was help take care of a tiny house elf baby…

Oh, Merlin…

"Harry Potter! Master Draco! Miss Fleur!" Everyone turned to see Dobby and a Healer coming into the waiting room.

"Yes, Dobby?" Fleur asked, her voice filled with hope.

Dobby gave them all a wide, teary-eyed smile before announcing, "Dobby is a dad!"

They all cheered and hugged Dobby, congratulating him and asking questions. Finally, he pulled away from everyone and cleared his throat.

"Can Dobby ask Harry Potter and Master Scorpius to follow him?" Everyone moved out of the way so the two could follow little Dobby and the Healer back to Miffy's room.

When they stepped inside, they were greeted by Miffy happy squeals. Dobby jumped onto the bed, with a little difficulty, and sat next to his wife and child, smiling down at the… potato?

Well, potato with big green eyes, just like Dobby's. But Harry could also see that the baby had Miffy's little nose, thank Merlin.

"Dobby and Miffy's daughter," the Healer said, for which Harry was grateful because he couldn't tell, "is one hundred percent healthy, which is good considering she will be famous as the first child born to two free house elves." Harry nodded at the Healer and moved to stand next to Dobby while Scorpius went to hug his former house elf.

"She's beautiful, Miffy," Scorpius said, smiling down at the baby. Harry was very glad that his son's best friend and niece's boyfriend wasn't raised in the same way that Draco was, because he couldn't help but smile at the blond's loving tone.

"Would Master Scorpius like to hold her?" Miffy asked. Scorpius inhaled sharply.

"Are you sure, Miff?" he asked hesitantly. When the elf nodded, Scorpius carefully took the small child, who was about the size of an actual potato, her eyes taking up most of her head.

"What did you name her, Dobby?" Harry asked, smiling as Scorpius came around so Harry could say hello to the small child, too.

"Libby," Dobby said, smiling up at Harry and Scorpius while still holding his wife in his arms.

"That's a beautiful name," Scorpius murmured softly, not wanting to wake the now sleeping baby.

"Miffy and Dobby decided on a second name," Miffy said tiredly, earning confused glances from Harry and Scorpius.

"Miffy and Dobby want to give baby Libby the second name Malfoy-Potter," Dobby said. Harry looked wide-eyed at Scorpius who was returning the look.

"You guys don't have to do that," Scorpius said quietly. Harry nodded in agreement.

"But if it weren't for Harry Potter and Master Scorpius, Dobby and Miffy would never have been married, or had baby Libby," Dobby said. "Miffy and Dobby love Harry Potter and Master Scorpius, and so Miffy and Dobby will call her Libby Malfoy-Potter."

Harry couldn't stop the tears that fell from his eyes as he hugged Dobby and Miffy to his chest, and when Scorpius and Libby joined in, and Harry heard the sniffles coming from Scorpius, he smiled.

Libby's first group hug, he thought, was perfect.


End file.
